IsoSpring : continuous mechanical time

Mechanical timekeeping began in the Middle Ages with the invention of the escapement. After the introduction of oscillators in the 17th century, mechanical clocks and watches continued to rely on escapements. Despite numerous technical advances, today’s escapements suffer from reduced mechanical efficiency. The IsoSpring project exploits ideas dating back to Isaac Newton to create a new time base which can be driven continuously, without the stop-and-go “ticking” of traditional mechanical clocks and watches. This solves the escapement problem by completely eliminating it : the mechanical watch can work without an escapement !

The result is a simplified mechanism having greatly increased efficiency and chronometric accuracy. This project is based on a new family of oscillators and maintaining mechanisms patented by Instant-Lab.

In 2013 a successful proof of concept was achieved, leading to an industrial project in 2014. In 2016, variations of the original concept were realized as fully functional clocks. As an homage to the horological tradition of the region, the shape of the clocks is based on the famous Neuchâteloise clock design. Since December 2016, the City of Neuchâtel has exhibited the first prototype in its renovated City Hall.

New escapement concept

Instant-Lab introduced virtual impulse escapements in which a double beat escapement becomes a dead beat escapement when the balance wheel is at its operating amplitude. In this way, the advantages of dead beat escapements : direct impulse, greater freedom in choosing impulse position, are preserved, while the disadvantages: sensitivity to shock and difficult self-start, are minimized.

High quality factor oscillators for wrist watches

Current mechanical wrist watches have an oscillator consisting of a balance wheel mounted on jewelled bearings and a hairspring. The use of flexure bearings instead of traditional pivots leads to a significant increase in quality factor, i.e., reduced energy loss. As a result, power reserve can be significantly increased and chronometric precision can be improved thanks to reduced oscillator perturbation. However these new oscillators are sensitive to gravity and have isochronism defects. This project explores novel flexure-based pivots minimizing these issues.

Gravity insensitive flexure pivot (GIFP) demonstrators

Programmable multistable energy storage mechanisms

This project introduces the concept of programmable multistable mechanism in which the number and position of stable states of a multistable mechanism can be modified. A complete qualitative analysis of a generic multistable mechanism, the T-shaped mechanism, was established using analytical tools based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. These results were validated numerically using finite element analysis and experimentally using physical models. Applications include new surgical tools and programmable metamaterials.

The project developed active surgical tools fitting microsurgery requirements, e.g., eye and brain surgery. Combining flexible structure technology provided by Instant-Lab together with Sensoptic SA’s in-house optical fiber based sensing technology which has been successfully used in heart, ear, nose and throat surgery. Providing surgical instruments that are force sensitive at the tool tip allows precise and reliable
surgical gestures far exceeding current practice. Watchmaking applications are also foreseen.

This project was funded by Sensoptic SA and the Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI (Switzerland) and run in collaboration with Pr. Th. Wolfensberger, Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules-Gonin, Lausanne. The project was completed within budget in November 2016 successfully satisfying the goals set by all partners.

Retinal surgery with force sensitive peeling hook

CTI Safe Puncture Optimized Tool (SPOT) for retinal vein cannulation

Retinal Vein Occlusion is a vascular disorder causing severe loss of vision. Retinal vein cannulation and injection of therapeutic agents in the affected vein is a promising treatment but the small size and fragility of retinal veins as well as the surgeon limited hand gesture precision and force perception makes this procedure too delicate for routine operations. The project aims at providing a compliant mechanical tool relying on a new programmable multistable mechanism to safely cannulate veins. This mechanism has the advantage that puncturing stroke and force can be predetermined so that puncturing is independent of surgeon manipulation. The feasibility of this project was demonstrated by a prototype made by femto-laser printing, one of the first buckled mechanisms manufactured in glass.

This project is funded by FemtoPrint SA and the Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI (Switzerland) and run in collaboration with Pr. Th. Wolfensberger, Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules-Gonin, Lausanne.

This project consists of a geometrically adjustable shoe orthotic to balance knee and hip loads which could otherwise lead to cartilage wear and tear, thus avoiding surgical intervention. Our proposed solutions are based on flexible elements combined with metamaterial. This Swiss National Science Foundation project is a collaboration with CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois). Different prototypes were realized and successfully tested at CHUV. We are currently examining if the proposed device can be developed into a commercial product. One patent is pending.

Geometrically adjustable shoe orthotic.

STI Enable SOLE Project

The object of the SOLE project is to produce ADVANCER prototypes and to test them on CHUV patients. The project is funded by the EPFL STI (School of Engineering) Enable Initiative.

Adjustable midsole intervention footwear (orthotic) for patients

with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis

Spinal screw placement tool

This Instant-Lab project develops low cost passive alignment tools for spinal pedicle screw placement. The goal is to improve the surgeon’s ability to accurately insert a pedicle screw following a predetermined trajectory. This reduces the risk of plunging which can damage soft tissue, nerves, or the spinal cord.

The SPIRITS (Simple Printed Interactive Robotics for Interventional Therapy and Surgery) project involves developing a robotic device for image-guided surgery and interventional radiology with a number of innovations, such as a tactile transducer, an intelligent needle, new 3d printing methods and new actuators and robots. This Interreg project is a collaboration between leading institutions: INSA Strasbourg, Hochschule Furtwangen, University Hospital Mannheim, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, EPFL.

SPIRITS team.

"In order to most assuredly produce a machine for measuring time [...] there must be a combination of Invention, of Theory, of Workmanship and of the Art of Experience." Traite des Horloges Marines (1773) by Ferdinand Berthoud, Clockmaker to the King (born Neuchatel, Switzerland,1727).